Three Gardens and Three Trees T he whole story of the Bible can be told in five words: “Three gardens and three trees,” which is the title of our lesson for this morning. You may be able to figure out what we mean by the “three gardens,” but the “three trees” might be more difficult. We want to see how these five words sum up the story of the Bible: the story of God’s plan to save us from sin.

The Three Gardens & The Three Trees The 1 st Garden: The Garden of Eden Gen. 2:8,9 – “The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”

1. At this time, mankind (Adam and Eve) was in perfect fellowship with God; man was holy and God was holy. a. There was no sin in the world. b. Adam and Eve were capable of being immor- tal by eating of the tree of life, Gen. 3:22. c. Abundant food was provided in the Garden of Eden, with no weeds or thorns. d. There was no sickness, no pain, no sorrow and no death. e. They had perfect fellowship with God.

2. God’s kingdom was perfect, and His law was to be respected, Gen. 2:16,17 – “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” The 1st Tree: The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil 1. Satan tempted Eve with the lust of the eyes (“it was pleasant to the eyes”), the lust of the flesh, (“It was good for food”) and the pride of life (it “was desirable to made her wise”).

2. And Adam and Eve yielded to the temptation offered by Satan, and ate of the forbidden fruit, Gen. 3:6 – “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.” a. Now there was guilt, Gen. 3:8. b. Women would now suffer pain in childbirth. c. Man would have to earn his living by the sweat of his brow, and have to deal with thorns and thistles.

d. On the day they sinned they died: (1) A spiritual death (separation from God), driven from the presence of God, Rom. 6:23; 5:12 – “For the wages of sin is death” … “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin.” (2) A physical death (“dying, you will die”); they were denied access to the tree of life, Gen. 3:22-24 – “to guard the way to the tree of life.”

3. All of the rest of mankind since Adam and Eve have followed their footsteps into sin, Rom. 5:12; 3:23 – “Therefore, just as through one man sin en- tered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” … “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” 4. Knowing that this could happen, God put into effect immediately a plan by which mankind could be saved from the guilt and consequences of sin.

a. Gen. 3:15 – “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” (1) God was speaking to the Devil. (2) The “seed of woman” refers to Jesus. (3) The Devil would “bruise” the heel of Jesus (in the crucifixion of Jesus). (4) Jesus would crush the head of the Devil (accomplished when Jesus was raised from the dead).

b. The first garden and the first tree tell the story of the fall of man into sin and its consequences. c. The rest of the Bible is the story of how God accomplished the salvation of mankind by this means. The Second Garden: The Garden of Gethsemane 1. After the “last supper” Jesus and His disciples went to this garden, where Jesus would spend the night in prayer, Matt. 26: The Garden of Gethsemane was located on the Mount of Olives, just across the brook Kidron from the city of Jerusalem.

2. While He prayed, He asked His disciples to “watch and pray,” as He explained to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death.” 3. He prayed, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” 4. Earnestly praying, and his sweat became like great drops of blood failling down to the ground. 5. He was betrayed by Judas Iscariot. 6. He was then arrested by the soldiers, and led away to be condemned to death in an unjust trial.

6. He was then taken to Pontius Pilate, who al- lowed Him to be crucified at Calvary. The Second Tree: The Cross on Which Jesus Was Crucified Our English word “cross” is translated from the Greek word STAUROS, which means “a stake, or pale,” which is made from a tree,Mark15: Acts 5:30 – “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree.” 2. 1 Pet. 2:24 – “…who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree…”

This tree, “the cross,” is a symbol of the death of Jesus Christ, which made it possible for us to be for- given of all our sins and to restore our fellowship with God. 1. Rom. 5:10 – “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son…” 2. Col. 1:22 – “…in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight.”

3. 1 Pet. 3:18 – “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.” The second garden and the second tree tell the story of man’s redemption from sin and the restora- tion of fellowship with God. 1. In Jesus’ death on the cross we are saved from the consequences of our own sins. a. Redeemed from captivity to sin, 1 Pet. 1:18,19.

b. Forgiven of all our sins, Col. 2:13. c. Restored to fellowship with God, 1 Jn. 1:7. d. Provided with the hope of eternal life in heaven, 1 Pet. 1:3-5. The Third Garden: The Garden of God – Paradise Restored Rev. 21:1,2 -- Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Rev. 21:3,4 – “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Rev. 21:6 – “And He said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.”

Rev. 21:7 – “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.” 1. Described in these verses is the restoration of the Garden of Eden – Paradise. a. Death will be no more. b. There will be no more pain. c. No more sorrow nor crying. d. God will dwell with men in the same way He dwelt with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

e. We will all be children of God in a perfect sense. 2. The one who “overcomes” will inherit all of this. The Third Tree: The Tree of Life Rev. 22:1-3 – And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more

Curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there. They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.” 1. This “Tree of Life” is the restoration of the tree of life that was in the Garden of Eden, access to which was lost when Adam and Eve sinned. 2. It bears twelve fruits, one for each month of the year, to sustain eternal life continually.

4. Its leaves are “for the healing of the nations.” 5. The curse of sin, having plagued mankind since the time of Adam and Eve, is no more. 6. And faithful saints will reign with God forever. The third garden and the third tree tell the story of the restoration of all that was lost in the first gar- den. 1. There is no more sin. 2. Fellowship with God has been restored. 3. Men will die no more. 4. Eternal life will have been gained.

CONCLUSION Will you let the story of the Garden of Gethsem- ane and Jesus’ death of the cross motivate you to take advantage of God’s offer to save you? 1. Believe in Jesus 2. Repent of your sins 3. Confess the name of Jesus before men 4. Be baptized for the remission of your sins. 5. Be faithful unto death

Rev. 22:17 – “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”